Supporters of a bill that would remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana in Illinois will release the results of a statewide poll Thursday that show strong support for such legislation. The Illinois House Restorative Justice Committee approved the bill last week, and supporters are now calling on members of the House to approve the proposal.

A new report, “Marked for Life: Collateral Sanctions in Illinois,” which details the impact of being arrested for a marijuana-related offense in Illinois, will also be released. Collateral consequences of marijuana arrests in Illinois will also be the subject of a panel discussion at the Fourth Annual Forum on Drug Policy, which will be held Friday at Roosevelt University. For details, visit http://bit.ly/1jlWPe8.

The Marijuana Policy Project will release the poll and the report at a news conference at 11:00 a.m. CT in the Blue Room of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. It will be joined by other supporters of the bill, including Rev. Alexander E. Sharp, executive director of the Chicago-based Community Renewal Society; Kathie Kane-Willis, director of the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University; and Whitney Sherrinsky, a central Illinois man who was denied public housing assistance 13 years after being arrested for possessing 2.5 grams of marijuana at the age of 16.

HB 5708, introduced by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), would eliminate criminal penalties and the possibility of a criminal record for possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana.